Irish Ballad

About
a maid I'll sing this song sing rickety tickety tin ... who did not have her
family long Not only did she do them wrong. She did everyone of them
in. Them in. She did every one of them in

One
morning in a fit of pique sing rickety tickety tin ... she drowned her father
in the creek The water tasted bad for a week And we had to make do with
gin With gin. We had to make do with gin

Her
mother she could never stand sing rickety tickety tin ... stand and so a cyanide
soup she planned The mother died with a spoon in her hand And her face
in a hideous grin A grin. Her face in a hideous grin

She
set her sisters hair on fire sing rickety tickety tin ... and as the smoke
and flame grew higher Danced around the funeral pyre Playing a violin
O-lin. Playing a violin

She
tied her brother down with stones sing rickety tickety tin ... and sent him
off to Davy Jones All they ever found were the bones And occassional pieces
of skin Of skin. Occassional pieces of skin

One
day she had nothing to do sing rickety tickety tin ... she cut her baby brother
in two Served him up in an Irish stew And invited the neighbors in
-Bors in. Invited the neighbors in.

When
at last the police came by sing rickety tickety tin ... these terrible deeds
she did not deny To do so she would have to lie And lying she knew was
a sin A sin. Lying she knew was a sin

ADDITIONAL
VERSE [Just one last thing before I go sing rickety tickery tin ... there
is something I think you ought to know They had no proof so they let her go
And they say she was tall and thin And thin. They say she was tall and thin.]

My
tragic tale I won't prolong sing rickety tickety tin ... and if you did
not enjoy this song You've yourself to blame for letting me go on You
should never have let me begin Begin. You should never have let me begin!

KEY
Dm

verse:
Dm Dm Gm Dm Gm Dm C Dm Gm Dm Gm

chorus:
Dm C Dm C Dm C Dm

Background:Irish Ballad by Tom Lehrer is a comically gruesome song about a girl kills her entire family on a whim. Then casually admits it to the police because lying is a sin.